Wednesday 11^th May  -  "Thump", on front window downstairs – a ‘House Martin’ did a Face plant , left a tongue mark then flew off.  The poor little mite having such a shock – thought it could fly through a glass window.  

Here is info: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Swallow#p00g3nj8

And :  http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/house-martin-survey

This Beautiful Pair of House Martins have been taking their restful moments in our Old shed - they're not Nesting in there thankfully, as Cats roam inside.  This isn't a great picture but gives you an idea of just how protective they are of their territory, displaying  disapproval of me taking a photo.

Please click on pictures to enlarge. And thank you for reading my blog. 

Thought  I’d let some fresh air into the rooms upstairs , on opening the window saw a beautiful pair of  'Collared Doves'  sat perched on the shed roof.  I could hear a lot of humans gabbling on in some sort of conversation -  suppose it would be a safe idea for them to view from higher ground.

Info. below:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Eurasian_Collared_Dove

Thursday 12^th May  -  A cold strong wind today with some cloud.  The smell of fresh grass with the taint waft of dung from the fields  awaken one’s senses for an early morn.

Our Mountain Ash Tree has flowered first time after waiting at least ten years, will have berries late Summer to early Autumn.  And with it being a ‘Rowen’ will be able to make Rowen Jelly for Christmas., on second thoughts there won’t be enough and would much rather let the Wildlife enjoy ! 

Info: http://www.wildlifegardenproject.com/component/k2/item/123-rowan-tree-sorbus-aucuparia.html

And : http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plants/plant_finder/plant_pages/874.shtml

The ‘Blue Tits’ have been extra busy , I guess the Chicks have hatched and the feeding frenzy is on !  They’ve been in and out all day long.  The sounds of new hatchlings give immense excitement ,  as a Burst of Life has emerged !

They fly continuously back n forth towards the Wood and on their return carry huge beak fulls of bright green caterpillars – they certainly look productive holding the munched-up food.

And here is it's tail having entered at great speed ! 

link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Blue_Tit

 Early evening and many more ‘House Martins’ have moved in  the Village.  They  swoop low to the ground around a field of grazing young bullock’s feet. , with a collection of House Sparrows feeding from the same ground.   I believe there’s a muddy patch which is useful for the Nest Building Martins.    From a distance I notice how ‘Sparrows’ fly , " they bob up and down"  - and must flap their wings almost continuously, if they want to stay up !  Whereas, Swallows and House Martins have a totally unique flight skill, wings are longer, more aerodynamic allowing more control., although I did see one struggle in a cross wind earlier but soon zoomed out with ease.

Been out to cushion the lovely juicy strawbs from the soil with some white garden fleece, not many,  just enough for what we require. “Not going to be greedy”.

Our Son enjoyed these two on his Muesli 

And I ate the third 'Ugly' one !

Cabbage White

White Butterfly on Chives, there were two but they fluttered about too quickly that I  only managed to get this little one. Info :   http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Large_White#p003kmdp 

And :                 http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Large_White

Also :                 http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/pests_and_diseases/identifier.shtml?cabbage_white_butterflies

At the bottom middle is a Sparrow

Four or five  Sparrow fledglings are testing out their skills under the Mountain Ash Tree, with the adults close by. Fluffing up their tiny wings and hopping on the lower branches seems an easy lesson.

Tuesday 17^th May  -  Looked up at the sky and it was full of House Martins swooping every-which-way, enjoying their moment  with the busy task of Breeding.  

Spotted a Male Sparrow and House Martin having a ‘Dogfight’ –  the H.Martin released itself pretty soon.

Wednesday 18^th May  -  And it’s 9.14 a.m, What a beautiful sight – a flock of GoldFinch arrive to eat the Dandelion seeds.  So pleased we left a collection of weeds around the garden.

An interesting link on the Dandelion :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum

 Here is a link for the Goldfinch : http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/European_Goldfinch

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Here we have the 'Tads' from our Garden Pond

And haven't they grown a good size, plenty more to do yet !

'TAD' 

The wavy lines under it's mouth are a type of Filter feeding to eat Algae.

Bill and his three lady Hens enjoying the freedom out in the paddock.  The buttercups are showing a good display this year.  

The lettuce is growing really well behind the Potatoes, who are also doing great !

And these Wild Strawberries will ripen once we have some more of that beautiful sunshine !

Another view in our Woodland 

I do hope that I've made this Blog interesting for everyone, thank you for visiting  x x x